Miniature RF and microwave components and methods for fabricating such components

A coaxial RF or microwave component that preferentially passes a radiation in a desired frequency band, comprising:

• a. at least one RF or microwave radiation entry port in a conductive structure;
• b. at least one RF or microwave radiation exit port in the conductive structure;
• c. at least one passage, substantially bounded on the sides by the conductive structure, through which RF or microwave radiation passes when traveling from the at least one entry port to the at least one exit port;
• d. a central conductor extending along the at least one passage from the entry port to the exit port;
• and
• e. at a plurality of locations along a length of the passage, a pair of conductive stubs extending from approximately the same position along a length of the passage, one having an inductive property and the other having a capacitive property, each extending into a closed channel that extends from a side of the passage, wherein the successive locations along the length of the passage are spaced by approximately one-quarter of a propagation wavelength, or an integral multiple thereof, within the passage for a frequency to be passed by the component,
• wherein one or more of the following conditions are met (1) the central conductor, the conductive structure, and the conductive stubs are monolithic, (2) a cross-sectional dimension of the passage perpendicular to a propagation direction of the radiation along the passage is less than about 1 mm, (3) more than about 50% of the passage is filled with a gaseous medium (4) at least a portion of the conductive portions of the component are formed by an electrodeposition process, (5) at least a portion of the conductive portions of the component are formed from a plurality of successively deposited layers, (6) the passage comprises at least one curved region and a side wall of the passage in the curved region has a nominally smaller radius than an opposite side of the passage in the curved region and is provided with a plurality of surface oscillations having smaller radii, (7) the conductive structure is provided with channels at one or more locations where the electrical field at a surface of the conductive structure, if it were there, would have been less than about 20% of its maximum value within the passage (8) the conductive structure is provided with patches of a different conductive material at one or more locations where the electrical field at the surface of the conductive structure, if it were there, would have been less than about 20% of its maximum value within the passage, (9) mitered corners are used at at least some junctions for segments of the passage that meet at angles between 60° and 120°, and/or (10) the conductive stubs are spaced at an integral multiple of one-quarter the wavelength and bulges on the central conductor or bulges extending from the conductive structure extend into the passage at one or more locations spaced from the conductive stubs by an integral multiple of approximately one-half the wavelength.

A coaxial RF or microwave component that preferentially passes a radiation in a desired frequency band, comprising:

• a. at least one RF or microwave radiation entry port in a conductive structure;
• b. at least one RF or microwave radiation exit port in the conductive structure;
• c. at least one passage, substantially bounded on the sides by the conductive structure, through which RF or microwave radiation passes when traveling from the at least one entry port to the at least one exit port;
• d. a central conductor extending along the at least one passage from the entry port to the exit port;
• and
• e. at a plurality of locations along a length of the passage, a pair of conductive stubs extending from approximately the same position along a length of the passage, one having an inductive property and the other having a capacitive property, each extending into a closed channel that extends from a side of the passage, wherein the successive locations along the length of the passage are spaced by approximately one-quarter of a propagation wavelength, or an integral multiple thereof, within the passage for a frequency to be passed by the component,
• wherein one or more of the following conditions are met (1) the central conductor, the conductive structure, and the conductive stubs are monolithic, (2) a cross-sectional dimension of the passage perpendicular to a propagation direction of the radiation along the passage is less than about 1 mm, (3) more than about 50% of the passage is filled with a gaseous medium (4) at least a portion of the conductive portions of the component are formed by an electrodeposition process, (5) at least a portion of the conductive portions of the component are formed from a plurality of successively deposited layers, (6) at least a portion of the passage has a generally rectangular shape, (7) at least a portion of the central conductor has a generally rectangular shape, (8) the passage extends along a two-dimensional non-linear path, (9) the passage extends along a three-dimensional path, (10) the passage comprises at least one curved region and a side wall of the passage in the curved region has a nominally smaller radius than an oppositeside of the passage in the curved region and is provided with a plurality of surface oscillations having smaller radii, (11) the conductive structure is provided with channels at one or more locations where the electrical field at a surface of the conductive structure, if it were there, would have been less than about 20% of its maximum value within the passage (12) the conductive structure is provided with patches of a different conductive material at one or more locations where the electrical field atthe surface of the conductive structure, if it were there, would have been less than about 20% of its maximum value within the passage, (13) mitered corners are used at at least some junctions for segments of the passage that meet at angles between 60° and 120°, and/or (14) the conductive stubs are spaced at an integral multiple of one-quarter the wavelength and bulges on the central conductor or bulges extending from the conductive structure extend into the passage at one or more locations spaced from the conductive stubs by an integral multiple of approximately one-half the wavelength, and
• wherein the surface of at least one of the conductive structure or the central conductor comprises a more conductive metal plated above a less conductive material.

A coaxial RF or microwave component that preferentially passes a radiation in a desired frequency band, comprising:

• a. at least one RF or microwave radiation entry port in a conductive structure;
• b. at least one RF or microwave radiation exit port in the conductive structure;
• c. at least one passage, substantially bounded on the sides by the conductive structure, through which RF or microwave radiation passes when traveling from the at least one entry port to the at least one exit port;
• d. a central conductor extending along the at least one passage from the entry port to the exit port;
• and
• e. at a plurality of locations along a length of the passage, a pair of conductive stubs extending from approximately the same position along a length of the passage, one having an inductive property and the other having a capacitive property, each extending into a closed channel that extends from a side of the passage, wherein the successive locations along the length of the passage are spaced by approximately one-quarter of a propagation wavelength, or an integral multiple thereof, within the passage for a frequency to be passed by the component,
• wherein one or more of the following conditions are met (1) the central conductor, the conductive structure, and the conductive stubs are monolithic, (2) a cross-sectional dimension of the passage perpendicular to a propagation direction of the radiation along the passage is less than about 1 mm, (3) more than about 50% of the passage is filled with a gaseous medium (4) at least a portion of the conductive portions of the component are formed by an electrodeposition process, (5) at least a portion of the conductive portions of the component are formed from a plurality of successively deposited layers, (6) at least a portion of the passage has a generally rectangular shape, (7) at least a portion of the central conductor has a generally rectangular shape, (8) the passage extends along a two-dimensional non-linear path, (9) the passage extends along a three-dimensional path, (10) the passage comprises at least one curved region and a side wall of the passage in the curved region has a nominally smaller radius than an opposite side of the passage in the curved region and is provided with a plurality of surface oscillations having smaller radii, (11) the conductive structure is provided with channels at one or more locations where the electrical field at a surface of the conductive structure, if it were there, would have been less than about 20% of its maximum value within the passage (12) the conductive structure is provided with patches ofa different conductive material at one or more locations where the electrical field atthe surface of the conductive structure, if it were there, would have been less than about 20% of its maximum value within the passage, (13) mitered corners are used at at least some junctions for segments of the passage that meet at angles between 60° and 120°, and/or (14) the conductive stubs are spaced at an integral multiple of one-quarter the, wavelength and bulges on the central conductor or bulges extending from the conductive structure extend into the passage at one or more locations spaced from the conductive stubs by an integral multiple of approximately one-half the wavelength, and
• wherein the desired frequency band is centered around a frequency greater than about 2 GHz, more preferably greater than about 10 GHz, and even more preferably greater about 20 GHz.

A coaxial RF or microwave component that preferentially passes a radiation in a desired frequency band, comprising:

• a. at least one RF or microwave radiation entry port in a conductive structure;
• b. at least one RF or microwave radiation exit port in the conductive structure;
• c. at least one passage, substantially bounded on the sides by the conductive structure, through which RF or microwave radiation passes when traveling from the at least one entry port to the at least one exit port;
• d. a central conductor extending along the at least one passage from the entry port to the exit port;
• and
• e. at a plurality of locations along a length of the passage, a pair of conductive stubs extending from approximately the same position along a length of the passage, one having an inductive property and the other having a capacitive property, each extending into a closed channel that extends from a side of the passage, wherein the successive locations along the length of the passage are spaced by approximately one-quarter of a propagation wavelength, or an integral multiple thereof, within the passage for a frequency to be passed bythe component,
• wherein one or more of the following conditions are met (1) the central conductor, the conductive structure, and the conductive stubs are monolithic, (2) a cross-sectional dimension of the passage perpendicular to a propagation direction of the radiation along the passage is less than about 1 mm, (3) more than about 50% of the passage is filled with a gaseous medium (4) at least a portion of the conductive portions of the component are formed by an electrodeposition process, (5) at least a portion of the conductive portions of the component are formed from a plurality of successively deposited layers, (6) at least a portion of the passage has a generally rectangular shape, (7) at least a portion of the central conductor has a generally rectangular shape, (8) the passage extends along a two-dimensional non-linear path, (9) the passage extends along a three-dimensional path, (10) the passage comprises at least one curved region and a side wall of the passage in the curved region has a nominally smaller radius than an opposite side of the passage in the curved region and is provided with a plurality of surface oscillations having smaller radii, (11) the conductive structure is provided with channels at one or more locations where the electrical field at a surface of the conductive structure, if it were there, would have been less than about 20% of its maximum value, within the passage (12) the conductive structure is provided with patches of a different conductive material at one or more locations where the electrical field at the surface of the conductive structure, if it were there, would have been less than about 20% of its maximum value within the passage, (13) mitered corners are used at at least some junctions for segments of the passage that meet at angles between 60° and 120°, and/or (14) the conductive stubs are spaced at an integral multiple of one-quarter the wavelength and bulges on the central conductor or bulges extending from the conductive structure extend into the passage at one or more locations spaced from the conductive stubs by an integral multiple of approximately one-half the wavelength, and
• wherein the at least one pair of stubs comprises one stub having a length greater than about one-quarter the wavelength and a second stub having a length less than about one-quarter the wavelength, and the component includes at least three pairs of stubs, more preferably at least four pairs stubs, and most preferably at least five pairs of stubs.

An RF or microwave component that guides or controls radiation, comprising:

• a. at least one RF or microwave energy entry port in a conductive metal structure;
• and
• b. at least one passage substantially bounded on the sides by the conductive metal structure through which RF or microwave energy passes when traveling from the at least one entry port;
• wherein at least a portion of the conductive metal structure comprises a metal and wherein the conductive metal structure is fabricated from a plurality of successively deposited layers, using one or more of the following operations:
• i. forming at least one of the plurality of layers by selectively electrodepositing a first conductive material and electrodepositing a second conductive material, wherein one of the first or second conductive materials is a sacrificial material and the other is a structural material which comprises the metal, and wherein after formation of the plurality of layers the sacrificial material is removed;
• ii. forming at least one of the plurality of layers by electrodepositing a first conductive material, selectively etching the first conductive material to create at least one void, and electrodepositing a second conductive material to fill the at least one void, wherein one of the first or second conducitve materials comprises the metal and the other of the first or second materials comprises a sacrificial material, and wherein after formation of the plurality of layers the sacrificial material is removed;
• and/or
• iv. forming at least one of the plurality of layers by selectively electrodepositing a first conductive material, then electrodepositing a second conductive material, then selectivelyetching one of the first or second conductive materials, and then electrodepositing a third conductive material, wherein at least one of the first, second, or third conductive materials is a sacrificial material and at least one of the remaining two conductive materials is a structural material comprising the metal, and wherein after formation of the plurality of layers the sacrificial material is removed.

An RF or microwave component that guides or controls radiation, comprising:

• a. at least one RF or microwave energy entry port in a conductive metal structure;
• and
• b. at least one passage substantially bounded on the sides by the conductive metal structure through which RF or microwave energy passes when traveling from the at least one entry port;
• wherein at least a portion of the conductive metal structure comprises a metal,
• wherein forming of the conductive metal structure comprises forming a plurality of successively deposited layers where each layer comprises at least one structural material, which comprises the metal, and at least one sacrificial material, and
• wherein the forming of the conductive metal structure comprises one or more of the following operations:
• a. separating at least one sacrificial material from at least one structural material;
• b. separating a first sacrificial material from a second sacrificial material and from the metal to create a void, then filling at least a portion of the void with a dielectric material, and thereafter separating the second sacrificial material from the metal and from the dielectric material;
• and/or
• c. filling a void in the metal with a magnetic or conductive material embedded in a flowable dielectric material and thereafter solidifying the dielectric material.